Peafowl

Angora Goat

Male : Ram or Billy
Female : Doe
Young : Kid
Group : Trip

Head - An Angora Goat coat is called Mohair. It is very long, like a Sheep Dogs fur. On the top of the head, males and females have horns. The horns are hollow and ribbed with creases. Males have long horns and females have short horns. Angora goat ears are long and hang down at the sides of the face. When they walk the ears swing back and forth.
Neck, Back and Belly - These areas are covered with long Mohair. The goats are sheared twice a year. Mohair is spun into wool. Mohair is used in clothes, blankets, furniture and is spun to make knitting wool.
Chin - Only the male has a long beard, the female has no beard.
Tail - The tail is short and always held high in the air.
Size - Rams weigh from 100 - 120 lbs and females weigh from 65 - 80 pounds.
Longevity - Angora Goats live 10 to 12 years.
Diet - Angora Goats eat weeds, grasses, leaves, alfalfa and corn. The broad leafed weeds are their favourite.

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Barn Pigeon

Male : Rooster
Female : Hen
Young : Hatchling
Group : Brood

Characteristics - Feathers are close together, soft, thick and fit loosely in the skin.
Head, Neck, Back, Breast and Tail - most are pastel shades of grey, brown, white and black. Some of the male species of Pigeons are the same colour as the females. This is unusual in birds. Pigeons have long wing feathers. The head of a pigeon is small.
Feet and Legs - Pigeons have small feet for their body size and their legs are short.
Beak - small, colour is usually black or brown. Pigeons have a skin saddle between the beak and the forehead.
Wings - usually where most colour is found on the body of a Pigeon. Pigeons have long wings and strong flight muscles that make them fly fast.
A pigeons body is usually plump. When they walk they bob their head.
Diet - Barn Pigeon will eat roots, worms, snails, slugs, spiders, mosquitoes, larvae, seeds, tadpoles and frogs.

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Head - a white streak of feathers along the crown line, a plume that curls over the front of the head which is smaller in the females. White chin, black cap, eye line, nape and throat.
Neck, Back, Breast, Tail and Wings - buff colour (brown shades), darker on the back with white and black spots. Females have a pale beige belly.
Feet and Legs - black and long, they have 4 digits on their feet with long sharp nails.
Beak - black.
Weight - 2.5 - 3 pounds.
The female will lay 12 - 15 eggs every year. The eggs are rounder than other birds eggs and are a solid tan colour with protective blotches of brown and black.
Diet - Quails eat mainly seeds. They will eat berries, leaves, roots and insects.

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Canada Goose

Male : Gander
Female : Goose
Young : Gosling
Group : Gaggle

Habitat - Found in marshes, ponds, lakes and bays. Canada Geese either live in Canada all year round or they fly as far away as England in the winter and come back to Canada in the spring.
Head - white and black.
Beak, Feet, Legs and Neck - black.
Wings - dark brown and tan.
Full grown geese can weigh 3 - 24 pounds and can be 23 - 48 inches long. Their wingspan can be as much as 6 feet. The male and the female look very similar but the male is slightly larger than the female.
A Goose lays 5 or 6 cream coloured eggs. The eggs hatch in 25 - 30 days.
Diet - Canada Geese feed during the early morning and late afternoon. They eat marsh grass, berries, spouting wheat, clovers and cattails. If one is seen with their head underwater and tail up in the air, they are eating tubers, roots, leaves, seeds, algae and pond weeds. In the fall and winter geese eat leftover grain in farmers' fields, especially corn.

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Head - most cattle have small horns on the top of their head, some have none, the ears are large.
Eyes - usually brown, with very long eye lashes.
Tail - has short fur except for about 4 inches on the end that is long fur. Cattle use their tail to swat flies off their back.
Hide (Hair) - brown, black and white, brown and white, rust, all cows have short hair, cow hides are used to make purses, wallets, belts and clothing. When the hide is used to make these items it is called leather.
Feet - each foot has a hoof, a curved covering of horn that protects the toe.
Teats - only on cows who have given birth, located in front of the back legs, this is where the calves get milk.
Cattle live to be 9 - 12 years old.
Diet - A cow will eat 25 kilograms of grass, corn, barley and oats a day. When cattle are eating grass they are "grazing". A cow chews just enough to swallow. The food goes into the first chamber called the rumen of its four part stomach. Later, the cow burps up a bit of food, chews it again, swallows and the food goes into the second chamber called the reticulum. The food then goes into the next 2 chambers called the abomasum and omasum, where bacteria and stomach acids work on it. Food provides cows with protein, energy, vitamins, minerals and bulk. It is also the raw material that makes milk.

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Head - The male has red fleshy ornaments that go from the top of his head to his chest. The part on the top of his head is called a crest. The female has red fleshy ornaments on the top of her head and from under her beak to the top of her throat, smaller than the males. Feathers are very small on the face of a Chicken.
Neck, Wings, Back and Tail - Feathers are all white, all brown, barred (different shades of brown), red or they could be a mixture of these colours with black.
Legs and Feet - Males have longer legs and bigger feet than the females. The colour of the legs and feet may be yellow, light brown or black. They have four toes.
Diet - chickens eat grains like corn, barley and wheat. They also eat some insects.
The only difference between a brown egg and a white egg is the colour of the shell.

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Head - top is white and under the beak is white.
Face - has a bright red ring around the eyes with a bright red beak. On either side of the top of the beak is a little bit of black. It looks like a moustache.
Neck - white and the feathers are short and close to the skin. Feathers are thick in this area.
Breast - top is black, part of a streak that runs over the beak, over the eyes and down to the top of the chest in a "V". The rest of the chest is a soft grey that goes right under the tail.
Wings - blue-grey on the top half and white and black streaks on the bottom half.
Legs and Feet - red with little black marks in the toes and legs. Females have a smaller knob on the legs than the males.
Back and Tail - brown with black on the ends of the feathers of the tail.
Diet - partridges eat seeds and insects. They always feed in groups. Staying in groups while feeding gives them a better chance of surviving a predator.

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Head and Face - the hair on the face is very short and stiff. The long hair from the forehead to the bottom of the back of the neck is called a mane. The mane is short hair standing on its end. Donkeys have very long ears that are dark brown at the bottom with a lighter brown between the top and the bottom. Donkeys have long eyelashes.
Neck, Back and Belly - these areas are covered with the same hair that is found on the face. This hair colour is grey, black, white or brown. There is a dark stripe on a Donkey from the mane to the tail and a crosswise stripe on the shoulders.
Tail - the tail is short and stands upright with long hairs only on the end. Donkeys are in the Horse family.
Donkeys can live up to 25 years and weigh around 900 - 1150 pounds.
Diet - donkeys eat prairie grass, oats, corn, wheat and barley.

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Head, Neck, Back, Breast and Tail - most feathers are pastel shades of grey, brown, white and black. The feathers are close together, soft, thick, and fit loosely in the skin. Some of the male species of Doves are the same colour as the females. This is unusual in birds.
Feet and Legs - Doves have small feet for their body size and their legs are short.
Beak - colour is usually black or brown. Nostrils are in the top part of the beak.
Wings - usually where most colour is found on the body of a dove. Each wing has eleven primary feathers with the outer one much shorter. This is why Doves appear to fly slowly.
Doves lay one to three white eggs each time they nest. They may nest one to seven times in a year. The eggs hatch in 14 to 15 days.
Diet - most of the time Doves eat seeds of grasses, weeds, wheat, barley and corn. Doves will also eat insects, fruits, nuts, acorns and pine seeds. Doves eat a lot of snails in the spring before and during egg laying.

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Neck, Back, Wings and Tail - feathers are white with many black spots. Wings are short and rounded.
Breast - feathers may be black with white dots or solid black.
Feet and Legs - Guinea fowl have large feet with four toes and nails. They are a yellow-orange colour.
Head and Face - have no feathers. The skin on the head and face may be blue, black or brown. The beak is a tan yellow colour. A wattle hangs off of the face between the eyes and the beak. The wattle is blue with a red bottom. There is a wattle on the top of the head and it is red. The back of the Guinea Fowls neck has hair spaced in no particular order. The Guinea Fowl usually has brown eyes. They keep a hunched posture. It is difficult to tell a male from a female because their colour and size match very closely. The male has larger wattles.
Diet - Guinea Fowls eat seeds, berries, insects and worms. They will eat seeds from weeds and flowers close to their nest.

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Hair Colour - the most common colours found on Guinea Pigs are white, black, tan, cream, chocolate brown, reddish brown or a combination of any of these colours.
Head - Guinea Pigs have large heads that make up about one third of their body size which is nine or ten inches long. Guinea Pigs usually have brown eyes.
Ears - Guinea Pigs have small ears. They are shaped like one side of a butterfly wing.
Feet - A Guinea Pig has four paws with four toes on the front paws and three toes on the back paws. Their nails grow all the time and need to be clipped.
Legs - Guinea Pigs have short legs. Their legs are so short that their belly rubs on the ground when they walk.
Tail - Guinea Pigs do not have tails.
Guinea Pigs will live from three to five years on average.
Diet - Guinea Pigs eat rabbit pellets, apples, bananas, pears, watermelon, grapes, cucumber and celery. Never feed a Guinea Pig cabbage, potato peelings or raw beans. Wild Guinea Pigs eat grass, leaves and clover.

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Head and Mouth - horses have six broad molars, on each side of the top and bottom jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting.
Ears - A horse can indicate its own feelings in a number of ways and the ears are a good indication of what is going through a horse's mind. Ears laid flat back against the neck show the horse is unhappy or annoyed, while ears pricked alert and facing forward indicate the horse is happy and interested. Ears lowered slightly to the sides show the horse is relaxed, bored or could indicate that it feels sick, while flickering ears indicate the horse is listening and attentive.
Body, Legs and Mane - a Horses hair can come in many different colours most commonly brown, black, cream, grey and white or a mixture of the colours.
Many varieties, differing in form, size, color, gait, speed, etc., are known, but all are believed to have been derived from the same original species. It is supposed to have been a native of the plains of Central Asia, but the wild species from which it was derived is not certainly known.
Diet - Horses eat a lot of roughage which is grasses and hay. Some Horses are also fed grains such as oats and corn.

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Head - Llamas have small heads with large pointy ears. All of the head is covered with fleece except the nose and mouth. A Llamas nose is usually black. The eyes are brown with very long eye lashes.
All of Body - the whole body is covered with fleece. The Llama also has straight, coarse hair outside of the fleece to protect it. The Llama fleece is usually white but can be shades of brown with white or black with white. Llamas have curls or waves in their fleece. The most fleece comes off the back of a Llama where it is also the longest. All fleece is shaved from the Llama leaving the Llama bald. Shearing is done every two years. The fleece is called wool when it is removed from the Llamas body. The wool is washed to get it clean. The wool is dyed different colours.
Legs and Neck - the legs and neck are both very long.
Hoofs - Llamas have 2 toes, which have a toenail and a pad. The toenails go over the top at the front of the toes and turn towards the ground. Their toenails need to be cut every four months.
Tail - Llamas have short tails.
Llamas live up to 15 years on average and can weigh close to 250 pounds. The Llama is a member of the camel family but does not have humps on their back.
Diet - Llamas graze on grass and other plants. They will also eat hay and grain.

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Head - different shades of brown with pale yellow.
Neck, Back, Breast and Tail - different shades of brown (males have a metallic green head and a white ring around their neck).
Feet and Legs - orange, feet are webbed between toes for swimming.
Beak - greenish yellow.
Wings - three stripes, top white, middle purple and bottom white.
The Hen lays between 8 - 15 greenish colour eggs a year. The eggs hatch in about 25 days.
Diet - when ducklings are old enough the Hen teaches them to dabble, hunt for roots, worms, slugs, spiders, mosquito larvae, seeds, tadpoles and frogs. The ducks use their beak like a shovel to dig what they eat out of the ground.

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Head and Neck - short, white feathers. The Swan has a very long neck and when resting it is held in an "S" shape.
Back, Breast and Tail - white feathers fit close together for water-proofing. The feathers on the back of the Swan are a very fluffy down.
Feet and Legs - legs are short and black. Feet are large, black and webbed. "Webbed" skin between the toes, the same kind of feet as a duck, helps with swimming. Swans are the fastest swimming of all waterfowl. One foot is tucked over the back while swimming or standing.
Beak - the beak, or bill, is orange in colour with a black bottom. There is a knob at the top of their short bill. The female Swan has a smaller knob than the male Swan.
Wings - very long white feathers. The wings are large making the Swan the fastest flying waterfowl. When a bevy flies together they adopt the "V" formation like the Canada goose. The Swan is the largest of all waterfowl.
Call - the Mute Swan is the least vocal of all Swans. Males and females will hiss, make soft snorting sounds or grunt sharply.
Diet - Swans eat plants, grain and algae. Swans graze for food. They uproot grasses in marshes. Swans grub for roots both on land and under water surfaces.

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Head - there is a crest of four small feathers on the top of the males head called a corona. The females head is green and brown with no head ornament.
Beak - is black and curved.
Neck - thin long neck with metallic green feathers.
Wings, Back, Breast and Tail - female Peafowl are green and brown with no fancy patterns. They are very dull. With male Peafowl, the shoulder may be black, metallic blue or green. The rest of the wing is green. These huge wings help the peacock fly up at severe angles into high trees.The main colour of the male is metallic green. The upper part of the tail is the train. Each feather has an eye spot that is ringed with blue and bronze. When the male wants to attract a mate, he raises his lower tail feathers (all 20 of them), which raises the train of 100 to 150 feathers. He vibrates the tail and the feathers shimmer and make a rustling noise. Males do not develop their full tails until they are three years old. They molt their feathers once a year.
Diet - Peafowl eat corn, grass, weeds, flowers, worms, mosquitoes and other small insects. Peafowl have to chew on gravel to help them digest their food. Gravel also provides minerals for healthy bones and thick egg shells.

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Head - white hair and skin. The hair is very stiff and known as bristles. Pigs have large ears.
All of Body - the Pig has very thick skin. They have short, fat bodies covered with white hair. The hair is very fine and soft on some parts of the body, but very stiff and thin on other parts.
Weight - Pigs grow to be about 220 pounds.
Hoofs - Pigs have 4 toes. The toes on the front feet are used to dig in the dirt. The toes on the back are only there to support the hind end of the pig.
Tail - Pigs have curly tails.
Legs - Pigs have very short legs with very little hair.
Longevity - wild Pigs can live up to 25 or more years.
Diet - Pigs eat corn (maize) which is a favourite feed for Pigs. Pigs will also eat soybeans. Pigs drink a lot of water. Pigs do not sweat like we do, they sweat through their tongue like a dog. Pigs will eat vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, potato skins, apple skins and corn cobs. These foods are a treat for them. Regular food includes barley, oats and wheat. Pigs eat their food out of a trough.

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Fur Colour - the most common colours found on a Rabbits fur are white, brown (light and dark), black and grey. When the Rabbit is skinned its' coat of fur is called a Pelt.
Fur - the fur of a Rabbit has two types of hair. One type of hair is the soft, fine insulating ground hair which is very thick. This helps to keep them warm in cold weather. The other type is protective, long, guard hair. The guard hair protects the ground hair and repels rain or snow.
Head - most Rabbits have a small, pink nose. They wiggle their nose a lot to detect danger.
Ears - Rabbits have long ears. A common Rabbit will have ears that stand straight up. A Lop Rabbit will have ears that droop over the cheeks and onto the ground.
Feet - a Rabbits feet are called Hocks. They have a black pad under their heel and under each toe. The pads help them get a good grip for hopping away from danger. The hocks are very long and this helps with balance and a springy take off when hopping.
Legs - Rabbits have long hind legs. The long legs help them to hop farther and the females need them to dig their burrows.
Tail - the tail is very short, fluffy and soft.
Rabbits live for around 6 or 7 years. The female is heavier than the male.
Diet - wild Rabbits will eat grasses, bran, oats and fish meal. They are herbivorous. Other food that Rabbits will eat is carrots, apples and bread.

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Head - the male has red fleshy ornaments that go around his eyes and over the sides of his face. There are two horns of feathers found on the back of the head. They look like fluffy ears and are called Wattles.
Neck - purplish-green feathers with a white ring of feathers around the neck.
Wings - speckled and barred in two or three shades of brown.
Tail - very long, narrow and cross - barred.
Back - speckled and barred in two or three shades of brown.
Legs and Feet - males have one or more leg spurs used as a weapon when fighting for a mate.
A Hen is coloured in shades of brown with black all over her body. The Hen is very plain looking to blend in with her nesting environment on the ground.
Diet - Pheasants eat grain and corn. They live where there is a great amount of food. Farmers of wheat and corn often find Pheasants nesting near by.
Call - All Pheasants have hoarse calls and a variety of other notes. Some can make two different pitches at the same time.

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Head - Sheep have a narrow muzzle (nose) and pointed ears. Male Dorset sheep have horns on the sides of their head. The horns are hollow and curl right around the ears. Females have horns but they are very short and only curl a little bit.
All of Body - the whole body is covered with fleece. The Sheep fleece is very white and soft. The farmer gives the Sheep a haircut called shearing, just like the farmers give to the goats. All fleece is shaved from the Sheep leaving the Sheep bald. This is why it is only done in the spring and summer, so the Sheep do not get cold. The fleece is called wool when it is removed from the Sheep's body. The wool is washed to get it clean. The wool is dyed different colours and spun into yarn.
Hoofs - Dorset Sheep have 2 even toes, called "digits", on each foot. Their hoofs grow like your fingernails and need to be trimmed every few months.
Tail - Sheep are born with long tails. The farmer cuts the tail to make it short so the fleece in that area stays clean and will not attract flies that could make the sheep sick.
Sheep can live to be 20 years old and weigh up to 275 pounds.
Diet - Sheep eat grass, hay and grain. They all drink a lot of water. When Sheep eat grass in a field it is called grazing. Grass is their favourite food.

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Head - the bill is orange-red and the feathers a blue-grey.
Body - the primary colour is blue-grey, marked with brown bars.
The head, neck and the back of the neck, as far as the shoulders, are dark brown. The breast is slaty blue. The belly is white, as well as the under-surface of the tail.
Feet - the feet are flesh-coloured and are webbed.
Toulouse plumage is fuller and softer than the average farmyard goose.
Diet - Toulouse Geese must be fed pellets (for waterfowl) in addition to their grazing. They are much keener to eat pellets than any other breed of geese, at all stages of growth.

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Head - The caruncle is a red-pink fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of the turkey. The fleshy growth from the base of the beak, which is very long on male turkeys and hangs down over the beak, is called the snood. Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited. The fleshy growth under a turkey’s throat is called a wattle.
Anatomy - The tom turkey is larger and more brightly colored than the hen. Toms grow to be up to about 30 pounds. Turkey eggs are tan with brown spots; they are a little bigger than chicken eggs. Poults which are baby turkeys are brown.
Turkeys can see movement almost a hundred yards away. They can see in color but they don’t see well at night.
Diet - Turkeys have a varied diet. They eat insects, worms, fruit, seeds, acorns, grains, slugs, snails, and many other foods. They have a well-developed gizzard (a part of the stomach that contains tiny stones) that grinds up their food.

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